Broken Things
by Mediafan
Summary: What if Ed was the same age as Mustang, Hughes, and Hawkeye? What if he went through the same experiences that they did? There'd be a very different Fullmetal Alchemist. Three-shot story. Aged up Canon AU. Edwin. Part one of a potential series.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody!**

**So once again I've hit a wall of writer's block with Kingdom. I'm not discontinuing the story by any means just taking another quick hiatus. When you work on the same story for a long time you get burnt out every once in a while. I just need a little time to refuel. You will see the end of Kingdom some day.**

**But for this story this was an idea that I've had for a while about if Ed and Winry were the same age as Mustang, Hawkeye, and Hughes. This is set in my own version of the canon where the two characters and a few others are aged up. You'll figure it out as it goes along.**

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

_**Broken: Having been fractured or damaged and no longer in one piece or in working order.**_

Maria Ross was worried.

This was the first time she'd ever been up North and she couldn't find her commanding officer... again.

"Where are you this time, Colonel Elric?" She questioned out loud as she quickly walked down the almost obnoxiously elegant hallway. He wasn't in his hotel room when she had come to collect him earlier. Nor had he been in the lobby waiting for her with a cocky smile either. That's what he had done at the last hotel.

Colonel Elric was a unique officer, Maria remembered that as she quickly descended the flight of stairs that lead back down to the first floor. She was about to check one more location. This particular place was where she was hoping he wouldn't be. Unfortunately, the hotel's concierge had seen her superior officer heading in that direction earlier in the morning.

Maria got to the bottom of the stairs and walked down the hallway after that. Finally she reached her destination, the hotel's dining room and bar. Maria stopped briefly outside the door and collected her thoughts before moving in.

She slowly pushed the door of the room open and entered.

It was a rather large space, Maria noted as she looked over the barren tables. According to a talkative busboy that she had encountered, several evenings a week the hotel would host parties or possibly a visiting comedian. In the right side corner, opposite to the door she was standing by, was the bar. The room wasn't officially opened until 5 p.m and it was currently 7:15 a.m. But a State Alchemist could get anything if he really wanted it. The lights on the room's ceiling were off, but the bright fluorescents at the bar were completely lit up. And leaning over the bar was the familiar shape of Lieutenant Colonel Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist.

Maria let out a sad sigh as she slowly made her way over to her superior officer. She had heard rumors about Colonel Elric when she was first promoted to the position of his Second Lieutenant eight months prior.

Most of them had been about his cavalier nature, others were simple gossip. Like how he'd sometimes show up to work without his uniform. For the most part those rumors were true. But others that she had heard said that he was a deeply troubled man. It had taken Maria two months in her new position for her realize some of _those_ rumors were true.

Some.

At first, she hadn't seen it. At first glance, he appeared to be a happily married man with a slightly crude sense of humor. But after a while, Maria began to see some of the cracks in his mask. Sometimes it was fatigue, like he hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night. In rare moments, he would seem like he was far away in his own thoughts. Despite these moments of uncertainty, Maria still held him in the utmost respect. She had been worried that all Colonels in the military were like the infamous Roy Mustang when it came to flirting with woman. But thankfully, Colonel Elric never made any crass comment or flirtatious gesture towards her. She knew that he had a wife, but that usually didn't stop other married military men from being creeps.

Looking at him right now, Maria couldn't help but feel pity for the Colonel. She knew that he would have a fit if she ever said that fact out loud. He wasn't terribly older than her yet he seemed far more aged than she could ever be.

As Maria made her way towards the bar, she could tell the Colonel was aware of her presence. Despite that, he made no movement to greet her or acknowledge her in any way. This alone caused her to worry a little bit more.

'It must have been really bad this time.'

From what she could see, he looked exhausted. His eyes were bloodshot and his face haggard with his golden hair slightly disheveled. He was dressed in his uniform, though it was improperly buttoned and wrinkled in several places. His standard issue State Alchemist watch had been haphazardly thrown on the bar's flat surface. In his hand was a bottle that looked almost drunk to completion. The bartender was standing off to the side with a slightly nervous look on his face. He looked relieved to see her approaching. She came to a stop a few feet away from the Colonel.

"Lieutenant Colonel Elric, sir?" She questioned cautiously.

"Second Lieutenant Ross." He responded in a surprisingly clear voice. It was quiet and composed, though he still didn't look at her. His face was down at the bar in front of him. She followed his gaze and saw that he was staring down at his watch.

"Are you alright, sir?" She asked, moving to take a seat next to the Alchemist on one of the stools.

He let out humorless chuckle as she sat down. "Thank you for the concern, Maria, but I'm almost finished up."

Maria was still eyeing her officer closely. In the eight months that she'd served under him, she'd only ever seen him close to this state once before. And she remembered what had helped him the last time.

"Would you like me to get your wife on the phone, sir?" The young woman asked gently. "Would you like to talk to her." She was hoping that he would.

He stilled in his movements, a look of consideration on his face. Eventually he shook his head.

"Nah, it's the third Monday of the month. She has that day off." He said, a faint smile on his face. "Besides, I don't want to bother her over nothing."

With that he took a big swig of the bottle.

"Sir!" Maria said, slightly alarmed. Her hand shot out and grabbed the bottle, trying to pull it from his lips. He held firm and she let go when he fixed her with a glare. His eyes were not glazed or intoxicated, but sharp and focused. His harsh gaze quickly softened and he placed the bottle down on the counter and leaned back in his chair with a tired sigh.

"It's alright, Lieutenant." He said. "I've been down this road before. I know when enough is enough."

She watched him with unsure eyes as he suddenly stood up and stepped away from the bar, his fingers fumbling with the buttons of his shirt. Any other man would have been swaying considering how much alcohol he'd just inhaled. But Edward Elric walked away in a straight line.

"Is the car ready?" He asked over his shoulder.

"Yes Sir." She responded a little cautiously.

"Then let's head out."

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

The snow seemed different up here.

Maria had grown up in Central City. She had been born and raised there. Never really traveling too far from her home. Because of that, when she had signed up for the military she wanted to go somewhere else. Her parents lived in Central and although she missed them greatly, it was interesting to experience a new part of the country.

This place was something else.

Snow glistened everywhere. There was not a single inch of ground that was not covered by it. The sky though was surprisingly clear. Despite the lack of clouds, a chill still permeated the air. She felt it creeping through the rolled up windows of the car and not for the first time since they had set out, Maria wished that she had worn gloves.

Maria was currently driving them to Briggs, the great walled fortress of the North.

Most Colonels were positioned in a city to watch over and uphold the military's law. Colonel Elric was an exception to this, though he mostly conducted his business in East City alongside Colonel Mustang. Maria had once asked her superior officer why he didn't move to a different posting to have full command. He response had been simple.

"Mustang and I have been together too long to break up now."

As unsatisfying as that answer was, she didn't ask any more. While Colonel Elric worked mostly in East City, sometimes traveling outside to conduct research or to participate in a military operation. There was one major assignment he had that was required, though. About once a year for about a month, Colonel Elric would have to travel to the various military border outposts to conduct an inspection of each and every one to assess their condition. It was a tight schedule with most of the time being spent in train cars, whisking them from one place to another. Maria had no idea why Colonel Elric was the one to do this. His answer, as per usual, hadn't shed much light.

"Somebody had to."

This was her first 'Tour' as the Colonel called them. He had been doing them for the last eight years, and despite doing it dutifully, she could tell he hated it. In the days leading up to their departure he had become more irritable around the office. He'd also taken more days off in the weeks leading up than any other. At the moment, the two of them were about three fourths of the way through the Tour. It had started in the East and then to the South working its way around the country clockwise before it would eventually be ending back in the East.

Maria glanced behind her at the Colonel who was sitting in the back.

He was leaning back against the leather seat, staring lazily out the window. He had been mostly silent since they set out from the hotel. He had straightened out his uniform and tamed his long hair. For a man who had spent most of the morning trying to drink himself into an early grave, Maria didn't see any sign of drunkenness. He was visibly tired though as the persistent bags under his eyes signified. Maria looked away from Elric and returned her gaze to the road.

"I owe you an explanation."

Maria blinked in surprise and turned around to look at the Colonel. He was seated up now and looking directly at her with a serious expression. His hands were folded in his lap. In one of them was a photograph which was facing away from her. She hadn't noticed him taking that out.

"Sir?"

"I owe you an explanation for this morning." He said. "As you have more than likely surmised, I do not enjoy this extended road trip."

Maria nodded, her attention solely on him.

Elric glanced to the side of her.

"Word to the wise, the road curves just up ahead."

Maria's eyes widened a little as she spun around and turned the car just in time to get the curve. Elric kept talking as she quickly went back to watching the road.

"Being out and on the move is difficult for me." Elric said. "Especially for a whole month."

"Sir, you don't have to worry about me filing any kind of complaint-" Maria said.

"I know you won't." The Colonel gave a small smile. "But it would be disrespectful if I didn't explain myself."

"Alright." Maria said after a moment.

"So as I said, this whole trip is hard for me." Elric continued. "I won't go into specifically why but thank you for not freaking out earlier."

Maria bit her lip. She had been pretty close to freaking out.

"Might as well mention that I lost my last Lieutenant during this part of the trip." Elric said. "He got spooked and requested a transfer. If you're on the fence at the moment, I can tell you from past experience this part's always the worst, the rest should be smooth sailing." He glanced out the window for a moment before looking back at her. "Any questions?"

"Sir, excuse me if this is going to far. But does this have anything to do with Ishval?" Maria asked. She knew his record and had encountered a few soldiers that had also been veterans of that conflict. So she knew some of the signs.

Elric gave another small smile.

"They told me you were smart." He chuckled. The Colonel had told her that that on her first day serving with him and he repeated the line every once in awhile. His eyes travelled down to the photograph in his hands. He held his gaze on it for several seconds as his smile grew slightly. Whatever was on that picture, it was able to lift his spirits, if only a little bit.

Elric looked out the window. "Forty minutes until we get there. Wake me up in thirty five."

"Sir?" Maria turned to look at her commanding officer, but he had already fallen asleep.

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

Maria couldn't help but gawk at the sight of Briggs.

The wind had picked up as they'd gone farther north and heavy clouds with snow had moved in. So much so that Maria had barely been able to see what was happening around her. It wasn't until she was directly in front of the massive wall that she stopped the car. At the moment she was standing next to the vehicle with Colonel Elric stretching behind her.

"Stare at that thing any longer and they'll shoot you for suspected espionage." She heard the Colonel dryly speak behind her as he fished through his pocket for his pack of cigarettes.

"They?" Maria asked.

"Oh the dozen or so Briggs guards that have us surrounded by now." Elric said casually as he finally lit a cigarette.

Maria looked around, startled by this. But when she glanced nervously around the white landscape, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She was beginning to suspect that the Colonel was screwing with her when he spoke again.

"They've been tailing the car for the last five minutes." He turned from her to the snow taking a few steps out. "Colonel Elric here to see Major General Olivier Armstrong!" Elric shouted, holding up his watch.

The response was silence.

"Buccaneer!" Elric called out. "Get your big, ugly ass out here already."

Maria looked from her superior officer to the snow bank. After a few moments a shape materialized out of nowhere. Maria stepped back as this shape got bigger as it approached them. By the time she could fully make the man out, her eyes widened. He was as big as Major Alex Louis Armstrong, but more fearsome looking. Colonel Elric remained nonplussed. Maria did a double take when she saw that he was smirking.

"Bucky." He grinned, taking a puff of his cigarette. "It's been too long."

The tall man glared down at Colonel Elric. Maria saw a muscle twitching in his jaw as he grimaced.

"Elric." Buccaneer growled.

"Look at that arm." Elric said as he stepped closer. "Wow, I think it's even bigger than last year's model."

Maria followed his gaze to the large man's arm. Her eyes widened when she saw a vicious looking automail limb with spiked fingers. Colonel Elric kept on talking.

"Mine's more or less the same as it was last year." He pushed his sleeve back revealing a metal limb of his own. "Not that I'm complaining, see when you've got a mechanic as special as mine, everything's top quality."

For whatever reason, this made Buccaneer extremely angry and she saw the large man clench his fists in an attempt to control his anger.

"I'll escort you in." Buccaneer growled again. "Don't expect a warm welcome, she doesn't have time for you."

"I'm honored by the very idea of General Armstrong's company." Elric said as he began walking to the massive wall. "Shame I caught you on such a busy day." He raised a hand and gave Maria a quick signal to follow him. Buccaneer made no further comment as he took the lead in going to the wall. More soldiers materialized from the snow as they walked down the path. They were like ghosts. Maria was almost startled when Colonel Elric gently grabbed her arm and pulled her in.

"Briggs is an interesting place with interesting people." He said. "My advice for surviving it is keep your head down and more importantly don't say anything dumb to Olivier. In fact maybe just don't say anything at all."

"Yes sir." Maria said. She moved to step away from her commanding officer when he pulled her back. They were now walking into the small entrance. The harsh winds were gone but the cold remained.

"On another note, I wasn't kidding that much when I said they'd shoot you for espionage." Colonel Elric said. "It's kind of a 'us vs the rest of the world' mentality here. Anyone not one of them is a potential spy for Drachma."

"Did they ever think you were a spy?" Maria asked.

Elric chuckled. "No, they love me here. But a relatively new Lieutenant visiting Briggs for the first time? They're going to keep their eyes on you."

Maria glanced to the men around them as they walked through the maze of metal hallways. None of them were looking at her, but she trusted Colonel Elric.

"I'll do my best not to look like a spy." She responded.

Elric chuckled again. "Don't try too hard or they'll shoot you for that too." His face became more serious. "If anyone tries to give you any of that shit, let me know."

Maria looked at the Colonel and saw the seriousness in his sharp golden eyes. One of the things she admired the most about this man was his commitment to those serving under him. If she or anyone else had a problem, it was his problem too. He had an amazing ability of shouldering the weight of the world for others. She gave him a nod.

Colonel Elric walked on and Maria couldn't help but glance at him.

While she respected him immensely, any affection she had for him was on a strictly professional level. It was true that he was tall, handsome, and had a wit that she couldn't possibly match. But he was married so Maria never even considered making a move for him. What self respecting person would try to advance their career by trying to solicit an affair with a married superior?

Maria shook her head as her boots clicked against the floors. Even though they were now well into the fort, the cold was still following them. Maria thought the winters that they got in the East were bad. This was a new kind of cold. The type that would kill you if you even tried to underestimate it. As she walked, Maria thought back to the heavy banks of snow that stretched on for miles outside. She morbidly wondered if there were any frozen bodies out there, trapped forever under the eternal snow. Ahead of her, Colonel Elric was walking as if he didn't have a care in the world. There almost seemed to be a skip in his step. His hands were stuffed into his pockets and from what she could see, there was a smile on his face.

Quite a reversal from the state that she had found him in this morning.

They were led quietly farther into the large fortress. Even on the inside it was intimidating. The walls were dark and gloomy. Every guard had the same stern expression on his face. The men who had surrounded them outside had disappeared back into the snow. Now they were flanked on both sides by two armed guards. Buccaneer was still leading them. Eventually they came to a waiting room. The walls were gray and lifeless looking here as well but at least it was slightly warmer here. Maria put one of her slowly warming hands against the steel and felt a chill.

Only slightly warmer.

There were two other doors to the room. One was was small and another that was big. The two guards had followed them in and were watching them from the walls, standing in strict position. Besides them there were a few metal chairs attached to the wall.

"Stay here." Buccaneer ordered. And with that he walked off, pushing his way through the large door and having it slam behind him.

"Great people here." Colonel Elric said to her as he swayed slowly from one foot to another. He turned to one of the guards. "Is there a civilian phone nearby, I want to make a personal call."

The two guards looked at each other for a moment. Maria thought for a second that they were going to tell Colonel Elric to shut up and sit down.

"Down the hall." One of them said pointing at the small door. "No longer than three minutes."

"Yes sir." Colonel Elric gave a mocking salute and started to head towards the door. As he was about to leave he turned to look back at Maria.

"I'd just sit there and wait." He said. "Anyone comes, point them in my direction."

"Yes sir." Maria responded.

Colonel Elric walked out of the room with the door closing behind him. Maria felt slightly uneasy sitting there by herself but she kept a neutral look on her face. Colonel Elric would make a personal call about once every two days so she was used to waiting on him. The two guards stood motionless at the wall across from her. Although she didn't catch either of them, she could tell that they were scrutinizing her. Maria kept her hands firmly in her lap. A childhood habit that she had was pushing her hair behind her ear when she was uncomfortable. She didn't do it much anymore, thanks in part to her cutting her black hair short.

The seconds ticked on, each one seeming like a minute. Maria was starting to question if it had been three minutes when the large door opened. Buccaneer's frame came into view and he glared at her when he saw that she was the only one in the room.

"Where is he?"

"Taking a personal call." Maria informed the man, standing up from her seat.

"Get him. The General is waiting."

With that, he disappeared into the large door again. Maria saw the two guards looking at her expectantly so she made her way over to the door that Colonel Elric had used. She opened it and looked both ways. Down to her right was Colonel Elric. She made her way towards him.

He was talking quietly into the phone, but Maria could see a smile on his face. It was the same smile that he had shown while looking at that photograph in the car. She felt bad about interrupting him. However, he saw her out of the corner of his eye when she was close and she was able to catch his last few words.

"-I have to go now, baby. Call ya again tomorrow?...Ok...Bye."

He hung the phone up and turned to her. His smile had disappeared and he now wore a professional frown.

"The Ice Queen has summoned me?"

"Yes sir." Maria said.

"Then let's not keep her waiting." Colonel Elric waved her after him as he walked. They came up to the door that Buccaneer had used.

"How's your cardio?" Colonel Elric asked as he pulled it open. The guards didn't move to help them.

"Above average, I'd say." Maria responded as she looked through the door to see a winding staircase..

"How are you with stairs?"

"As good as anyone." She answered as her eyes widened at seeing how high it went.

"Good. Because we're about to do a shit-ton of walking."

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

"If the General wasn't a woman I'd be questioning if they were compensating for something."

The endless winding staircase had led to a ladder, which had finally let them outside. The two were now standing on the top of the wall. It was less cloudy up here than down on the ground but still just as windy.

Maria was slightly winded though. Standing next to her, completely unfazed, was Colonel Elric. He patiently waited for her to catch her breath.

"You don't have to wait for me sir." She said.

"No one left behind, Lieutenant." Elric stated. "Remember that."

When Maria was ready, she stood up to full height and turned to face Colonel Elric, at attention. Colonel Elric gave her a friendly nod and turned to walk towards the edge of the enormous wall. Maria looked ahead and saw a figure standing at the edge. Long, yellow hair flowed wildly in the wind, yet the figure stood unperturbed. Maria assumed that this was Olivier Armstrong. Her blue coat flapped as well and in one of the her hands, Maria could see a heavy sword. She had her back towards them and did not turn as they approached.

"Elric." The General said, once they came to a stop a few feet away from her.

"Olivier." Colonel Elric greeted friendly. "Wow, would you look at this view."

Maria stayed back as Colonel Elric stepped forward so that he was standing right next to Olivier, facing the Drachman tundra in front of them. Their coats billowed together.

"How's that southern automail treating you?" The woman asked coldly. "I'd hate to waste any more resources saving your life again."

"It's treating me just fine." Elric said. "And I'd hate to be a burden."

Oliver turned sharply to look back at Maria, causing the younger woman to take a small step back in surprise. While the General had a beautiful face, her eyes were terrifying. They looked like a wolf as it was about to lung at its prey.

"Your new assistant is skittish." She turned back to to the sight in front of her. Dismissing Maria entirely.

"Leave her alone." Elric cut in. "And why might I ask are we up here? I'm a sucker for a good long look at nature any day, but this seems a little theatrical even for you."

"In all the long years that you've come here, you've never had the pleasure of seeing Briggs repel an attack." Olivier said. "I decided to give you the opportunity to change that."

Colonel Elric glanced at Olivier for a moment than back out towards Drachma. He opened his mouth but Olivier cut him off.

"Our spies warned us of an incoming battalion of Drachmans." Olivier informs him.

"Seems like a suicide run on their part." Elric said.

"We may have let slip that we were experiencing difficulties that would have made defense nearly impossible." Olivier's lips curled into a cruel smirk.

"In the purpose of?" Elric asked with a growing frown.

"Reminding Drachma that we don't have weaknesses."

Through the snow, Maria could just barely make out a mass of men approaching the wall. Behind her she suddenly heard the sounds of machinery and metal being strained. She turned to see that dozens of heavy cannon guns had been raised from inside of the wall. Each one of them was manned by a soldier and they were all aimed at the oncoming and unsuspecting Drachmans.

"Guns ready, General!" Maria saw Buccaneer standing on one of the guns.

Maria turned back to Olivier who stood coolly at the edge. Many moments passed in silence as the army in front of them got closer.

Suddenly.

"Fire!" The General ordered.

The top of the wall exploded in gunfire.

Maria had to cover her ears at the thunder of the enormous guns. They kept going off, one after another. Seconds would separate each shot as the soldiers attending them kept a steady reload system. Maria turned back to see Colonel Elric watching the explosions tear into the Drachman army. The who battalion was quickly being covered in fire and black smoke. She faintly heard the distant screams of the dying. The General unflinchingly watched the slaughter. Colonel Elric seemed to have a different opinion as his body language had gone rigid.

The explosions kept on up for about five more minutes. After that the General raised her sword and the firing stopped. There was a large cloud over the area where the Drachamans had stood. When it was cleared there was nothing left of the army that had once stood there.

Armstrong sheathed her weapon and turned to face Colonel Elric.

"Lost the stomach for it?" She asked coldly.

Colonel Elric's face was a hard frown and his eyes glared back at Armstrong.

"I'm never been an advocate of needless slaughter." He said.

"You don't approve?" Armstrong asked. "I always wondered if my brother was the only alchemist to lose his spine in Ishval."

"How many men just died." Elric asked motioning towards the distant smoke.

"Less then what would have happened had Drachma launched a larger attack. After this they won't dare to try anything against us for at least five years." Oliver said dismissively as she turned to walk away from them. "Go back to your southern office, Fullmetal."

Colonel Elric stared after Armstrong as she walked away. Ahead of her was the gunners and Buccaneer. They were all standing at attention, waiting for her. They stood on a elevator platform.

"Does she expect us to take the stairs?" Maria asked.

Elric was silent for a moment before a smirk formed on his face. "No let's catch a ride."

With that he took off, walking quickly, with Maria moving fast to keep up. When they got to the platform Olivier was talking to a dark skinned man with sunglasses. She frowned when they stepped on and gave them a displeased glare.

"Mind if we come down with you?" Elric asked with a smile. "Sorry, but I'm just not as young as I used to be."

Olivier continued to glare as the platform began to move down.

"So I have to say, that was an excellent display of firepower from this fortress." Elric said.

"You going to write that in your report?" Buccaneer asked mockingly.

"Of course, Bucky." Elric grinned, before turning back to Olivier. "And I'll have to be incredibly generous in my reports of your successful espionage."

Olivier's somehow seemed to get angrier. "Go ahead, Elric. Look down on us for what we did. For what we've had to do everyday to keep this nation safe."

"Are you implying that I don't take the safety of the country seriously?" Elric asked, with fake offense.

"I'm accusing you of being a spineless bureaucrat." Olivier said coldly. "A glorified pencil pusher who slithers out of his warm office to judge the real soldiers of this country. The ones who risk their lives every day so that you can sit in East City and do paperwork. So inspect us about the capability of our defensives. Judge us on the brutality of our methods. But when you hand in your neatly written report to the Fuhrer, admit to yourself that you need us, not the other way around."

The lift came to a stop but no one moved. The soldiers were staring with an aura of triumph as their general finished talking down to Colonel Elric. Maria stood there awkwardly looking back and forward between the two commanders. She paused when she saw that Colonel Elric was still smiling. He looked back at her for a second and pocked at his hip. Maria followed his gaze and looked down at her gun at her hip. She brought her hand to it and looked back up at Colonel Elric who had turned back to Armstrong.

"You raised some excellent points, Olivier." Elric said. "Though just have one question...who the hell is this asshole?" He pointed behind the General to the group of soldiers.

Maria, along with everyone else, looked in confusion to where the Colonel had pointed. Maria's eyes widened when she saw a soldier pulling out a gun and aiming it at the General.

**Bang!**

**Bang!**

Maria had moved so quickly that she barely even registered it. In her hands, pointing forward, was her smoking handgun. The shooter was lying on the ground, a bullet wound in his leg. In front of her, Olivier Armstrong was standing as stiff as a board. Colonel Elric was practically draped over her. His automail arm was placed directly in front of Armstrong's face. There was a bullet embedded in the metal palm.

The frozen Briggs soldiers snapped out of it and quickly seized the would-be assassin. He was roughly dragged off while the rest of the soldiers stood there awkwardly. Elric unwrapped himself from around Armstrong and stepped back so he was standing next to Maria.

"It's a good thing 'my assistant' didn't kill that guy." He said, flexing the fingers on his automail hand experimentally. "That way I won't have to include how you have no way of figuring out how an assassin snuck into the Impregnable Wall of Briggs in my report. I look forward to hearing an explanation when I come back tomorrow."

Olivier growled, but didn't say anything as she turned to storm off. The other soldiers began to follow. Colonel Elric went back to moving his fingers.

"Do you need that looked at, Colonel Elric?" Asked the dark skinned man that Olivier had been talking to.

"No thank you, Miles." Elric responded. "There's only one mechanic for me...and while we're on the subject. Hey Bucky!"

Buccaneer froze in his movements and slowly turned to look at them.

Colonel Elric reached into his coat with his flesh hand and pulled out the photograph from earlier.

"Take a good long look Bucky. Because it's the closest you're ever going to get." Elric grinned the biggest shit eating grin Maria had ever seen on a grown man. She tried to see what was on the picture, but Elric quickly stuffed it back into his pocket. Buccaneer growled and stormed off as well, muttering about how life wasn't fair.

Elric turned to Maria. "Good shooting, Ross." He grinned. "I think with that little hero moment I can get one of the guys here to drive us back to the hotel."

Maria stared at her commanding officer in awe. "How did you know there was an assassin?"

"We'd heard rumors that Briggs was experiencing some cracks so I mesmerized the face of every member of Briggs." Colonel Elric said, simply.

Maria blinked. "You're kidding?"

"Nope." Elric said. "I kept my eyes open and spotted him the second we came up onto the roof I don't think he intended to kill her so soon. That massacre must have spurred him on, made him too angry and sloppy. He was too far away to take a good shot at Armstrong while the barrage happened so I figured he'd try and pull something on the elevator."

He looked back at his hand with the bullet still embedded in it. He looked up at the people around them.

"On second thought, could someone get me a pair of pliers?"

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

The ride back to the hotel was easier than the ride to the fortress. Maria was seated in the back next to Colonel Elric this time. True to his word, Elric had gotten one of the Briggs soldiers to drive them back. There was sound proof glass separating them and the driver, with a slidable pane in the middle in case they needed to talk. This was a detainment car, but Colonel Elic wanted the privacy.

"Sir, can I ask you a few questions?" She asked.

"Shoot." He grinned.

"Why do you and the General hate each other so much?"

The Colonel's face lost a bit of its humor. "I don't hate her." He admitted. "She definitely hates me though, no doubt about that. But I feel bad for her."

"You feel bad?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah." He said. "You saw the display earlier. She believes that's the way to protect this country." He leaned back more against the leather. "When I was a kid, I used to think that life was the most precious thing. So much so that I couldn't even think about how you could take another's life from them. As you can probably guess, killing isn't such a enigma to me anymore but despite it all I still think life's precious. It should only be taken when completely necessary though. What we saw with the Drachmanns wasn't necessary."

"If you don't mind me asking?" She asked her second question. "If you hated killing so much, why did you join the military?"

"I came for the science and the perks that come with being a state alchemist. I was trying to fix a mistake." Elric smiled ruefully. "Ended up getting roped into more shit than I bargained for. Now it's just too late to get out now."

Maria nodded, accepting his answer. The Colonel was somewhere else though. From his facial expression, his thoughts were on whatever old mistake that she had made him remember. She quickly asked a new question.

"Do you and Buccaneer dislike each other for the same reason as you and the General?"

The Colonel laughed. "Kind of." He said. "But it's mostly for a different reason."

"What happened?" Maria asked.

"Well whenever I go on one of these trips I carry a picture of my wife around with me." Elric said, his hand reaching into his pocket and pulling out the photo that he had been unintentionally hiding from her all day. On it was a beautiful woman with blond hair and blue eyes. The familiar woman was wearing a red bathrobe and sitting at a table with a mug in her hand. Based on the surprised yet amused look on her face, the Colonel must have ambushed her with a camera.

"The two of you have met right?" He asked her.

"A few times sparingly." Maria answered.

"I know one thing that's going to change when we get back." Elric smiled immaturely. "She keeps nagging me to invite you over for dinner...well anyway back to Bucky. So I carry a picture of her with me, I usually get a new one each year. In the first few years, we used to send me out with pictures that...well I wouldn't exactly show to any kids I might end up having. Or anyone's kids for that matter."

"Oh." Maria said awkwardly.

"That and she always used to write something...specially explicit on it. We did that for the first three years until I got dumb enough to leave my jacket in a rec room with the picture half hanging out of a pocket. By the time I came back, Buccaneer and his cronies had found it and made assumptions as to the nature of her profession and our relationship."

"Okay." Maria said even more awkwardly. She regretted bringing this up.

"And an unwritten law among soldiers that you might not know about yet is that you don't mess with another soldier's spouse." Elric said. "Like for example, if lovable Olivier got herself a husband and I started flirting with him with the genuine intention of sleeping with him, I'd be up for an asskicking." He let out a chuckle. "Back at the academy some guy made a couple of moves at a friend of mine's girlfriend. We ended up dunking his head in the bathroom." The colonel finished with a nostalgic look on his face. He looked back at her. "Anyway even if it's looking at a picture and calling her a hussy, it's a scum move. So after that fun little stunt, I have decided to dedicate the rest of my life to making that mohawk bastard pay." He was smiling. "He hates the fact that my mechanic is both a sexy blonde and my sexy-as-hell wife."

"I'm almost sorry that I brought this up." Maria murmured.

"Oh come on Maria, we got two left weeks on the road and then we'll be home."

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

Red...all he could see was red.

His boots splashed as he stepped through endless puddles of blood.

There was blood everywhere. On the street, on the walls, and in the buildings. It was all over him, staining his long white coat.

He wasn't too worried about that though, they would be sure to give him another one for tomorrow. Then another one the day after that.

Around him were bodies of those that he had killed. Bodies of men, of women, and of children. He didn't discriminate when it came to killing. Not anymore. It was easier this way.

They all seemed to stare up at him. Most were mangled beyond recognition but somehow all of the eyes were still intact. Perfect orbs displaying the humanity that had once existed.

And they were all pointed at him.

It was mostly quiet. All he could hear were the caws and chirps of vultures overhead. They always knew to follow him where he went. He gave them plenty of food. An all you can eat buffet stretched out for miles and miles.

His breath was ragged and animalistic as his tall figure moved through the town like a reaper. His bloodshot golden eyes stared ahead.

His gloved hands were clenched into tight fists, blood dripping through his fingers and into the dirt. His golden eyes were dead as they stared in front of him. His formerly white coat flowed behind him as he moved through the street. The sun beat down on him but he didn't care.

Suddenly the sounds of moving rocks caught his attention. He snapped to attention to look down an alley that he was passing. His emotionless face only hardened at the sight in front of him.

There was a man and a woman holding each other on the ground. She was hurt. Blood heavily stained her robes as she lay there in the dust. They looked young, even younger than him. Both were frozen in fear as they stared up at him, their red eyes wide with terror. His emotionless eyes never left them. Not when he clapped his hands, nor when he dropped to the ground.

He looked into their living eyes as the violent ripple made its way towards them…

Edward Elric woke up gasping.

"Shit...shit...shit!" He muttered into his hands. His breathing uncontrollable as sweat glistened over his bare chest. Ed could feel his hair clinging to his sweaty forehead as he stared between the cracks between his fingers. The moments began to pass and yet his breathing didn't slow down. Hearing a sound of wood creaking he lashed out violently, smashing a lamp on the bedside table with his metal hand. This sudden movement threw him off balance. Tangling his legs in the blanket, he fell to the ground hard. Rolling with it, Ed jumped to his feet, eyes darting around wildly. He stood there trembling, his arms were up defensively. He looked around desperately for any threats. When he saw none, the alchemist fell to his knees. His hands barely supported him as he stared down at the hotel rug.

"W...Win...Winry?" Ed gasped out as he looked up at the bed. He quickly looked around for her until he realized that she wasn't in the room.

"Oh yeah." Ed muttered as he sat back on his heels. Winry was back at their house in Eastern City.

Ed sat on the floor as he waited for the adrenalin to leave his body. It took a long time for that to happen. All the while, the ghosts of the past danced in front of his eyes.

'Calm the fuck down.' He ordered himself, his hands going into tight fists.

This was the tenth day in a row.

The bar wasn't an option today. He couldn't let Maria see that again. It was stupid of him to have done that yesterday before they went to Briggs.

He was just going to have to tough it out. His hands would be shaky and his attention would be off. But he was just going to have to power through it. Alcohol wasn't an option this time.

'If she was here…' He thought as he shakily grabbed for the bed to hoist himself back into it. The empty bed that waited for him.

It would be easier if Winry were here.

But she wasn't.

Two weeks left.

He had two weeks left until he was home.

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

**Ok so this was part one of a three part short story. This also serves as a potential pilot for a series of short stories and one shots set in the world that this story creates. **

**Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2.**

**Part 2 of this three chapter story. This chapter will have a different point of view.**

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

Maria Ross stared at her commanding officer with a raised eyebrow.

"So yeah, just uh…keep it quick and don't go into too many specifics." Colonel Elric explained as he quickly pulled on his jacket. "If you have to lie, try and make it sound convincing. She's really damn good at sniffing out lies, trust me."

"Sir, I don't want to sound insubordinate here but why don't you just make this call yourself?" Maria asked with her arms folded

"Because I'm busy with...inspection duties." He said over his shoulder as he fumbled with the buttons of his military jacket.

"We don't have to head out for another two hours." Maria reminded him.

Colonel Elric grinned sheepishly. He gave up on the buttons and left his jacket open. He turned to her with his hands raised in surrender.

"Yeah, but she doesn't have to know that." He said with a wink. "Good luck."

And with that, he was out of the room in a flash.

Maria stared at the door for a few moments before rolling her eyes. 'He's willing to block a bullet with his hand yet is too scared of his own wife to tell her about it.' She thought with a sigh.

Right now, they were in a military barracks at a small base a little south of Briggs. At this point there was less than a week left in their journey. A private suite had been given to the Colonel. Maria was standing in the common room that connected her room and his. It was here that Elric had finally decided to let his wife, and automail mechanic, know about the damage to his arm. His fingers had been twitchy since that day in Briggs, and there was a large crack in the outer casing that would also have to be fixed.

Picking up the phone, Maria began to dial the number that the Colonel had given her. It was the number to his wife's automail shop. The line rang as she waited for it to be picked up. After a few moments it was answered.

"Hello, Rockbell Auto Shop. How can I help you?"

It was a young man's voice. Colonel Elric had told her that his wife had several assistants working for her, one of them must have picked up.

"I have a message for Mrs. Elric." She said with a professional tone. "It's from her husband."

"Is it important? She's pretty busy on a project right now." The young man responded.

"I was ordered to deliver this message directly to her, please let Mrs Elric know that I'm calling." Maria said confidently.

"Ok, give me a second." The young man said. She heard him place the phone down and walk off. She then could hear the distant sound of muffled talking and after about ten seconds the phone was picked up.

"Hi, this is Winry Elric." A pleasant voice spoke on the other end. Maria recognized it from her brief interactions with Colonel Elric's wife in the past.

"Good day, Mrs Elric." Maria said. "This is Lieutenant Maria Ross."

"Oh hi Maria." Mrs Elric greeted cheerfully. "How's the trip going so far?"

"It's going well, thank you." Maria responded. "Colonel Elric wanted me to tell you that his a-"

"What did he do?"

"Excuse me?" Maria blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden question.

"What did that jackass do to his automail this time?!" The woman asked loudly from the other side. Her voice had gone from friendly to a more serious and angry tone. Maria's eyebrows raised in bewilderment. How did the other woman know that this was about the Colonel's automail?

"I..uh...the Colonel wanted me to inform you that his automail received some minor damage." Maria said before adding on. "He's alright, so you don't need to be worried."

"No shit he's all right." Mrs Elric said threateningly. A moment passed and she cleared her throat. "Sorry Maria, I'm not mad at you. But just to let you know, you're not the first Lieutenant he had tell me that he broke his automail."

"It's not broken, it's just a bullet hole-" Maria gasped as she realized what she just let slip. 'Arrgghh, I suck at being interrogated.' She thought miserably in her head. Mrs Elric response came quickly and loudly.

"A FUCKING BULLET HOLE!"

"Uhh, yes ma'am." Maria said. She had no idea how else to respond to that.

"No wonder that coward's too scared to tell me himself." Mrs Elric mused out loud. "I'm going to rip his stupid head off when he gets home."

'This woman's almost crazier than he is.' Maria thought. From the few times they had briefly met, Mrs Elric had seemed like a pleasant and friendly woman. She had always been polite and usually had a bright smile on her face. This new aggressive side was a startling surprise. Maria was beginning to think that the Colonel's reluctance to do the call himself was not so misplaced. She could only imagine how angry Mrs. Elric would be if it _had been_ the Colonel talking to her.

"Maria thank you for letting me know about this." Mrs Elric said, her voice had gone back to being pleasant and sweet sounding. "Please tell that cowardly Alchemy freak that I don't kill the messenger, I'll kill him...have a nice day."

With that, Mrs Elric hung up the phone. Maria held the phone away from her head and looked at it in disbelief for a few moments. And she thought Olivier Armstrong was intense.

"How'd she take it?" She heard a quiet voice behind her.

Maria glared at her superior officer. He had stuck his head through the door, which was slightly ajar. Was he just listening outside the door the entire time?

"She says that she's going to kill you." She said bluntly. The Colonel's face paled slightly, his mouth left open for a few moments as he seemed lost in thought. He quickly recovered however and put on a weak smirk.

"Ha...classic Winry."

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

Winry Elric stepped back from the phone with a tired sigh. Her husband really was an idiot some of the times. Honestly she often was amazed that he could survive more than a week without her to fix him.

Behind Winry, her three automail assistants stared at her for several seconds before quickly getting back to work. Winry ran a hand through her long, blonde hair. It was held back with a green headband. Like the the tan jumpsuit she was currently wearing, it had several dark oil stains.

"How are those orders doing?" She called out to her assistants behind her.

They were three young men. There was a tall brown haired seventeen one named Lucas. He was good at heavy lifting, but a little slow with putting the pieces of the arm together. He had gotten better since when he first started so Winry was optimistic about his future. Another was about fourteen. His name was Henry. Winry was happy to see someone that young getting interested in automail. It had come at a bit of a price. His parents had been cautious when they had first come to her about her taking him on as an apprentice. They'd taken one look at Winry with her jumpsuit tied to her waist with only her tube top on and gotten cold feet. His parents, especially his mother, had been worried about their son working around a young woman who 'dressed' like that. Winry was used to not being taken seriously by others. Even though she was only 28 years old she had already seen enough of it. And she firmly believed that if she had been a man then it would have been a different story entirely. Also Winry stood firm that her wardrobe for the day Henry's parents visited wasn't her fault as the air conditioning for the shop was being replaced and it was quite hot inside.

Despite all that, Winry had conceived his parents that her shop was a safe environment for their son and everybody has been happy since. The last of the three was the most promising of her three apprentices. His name was Felix and he was about 20. Although only with her for two years, he could already put together an automail limb like he'd been doing it every day of his life.

Winry was proud about how far the three of them had come during their time apprenticing with her. She was sure that one day they would be great automail mechanics with their own shops. Now with her mood slightly brightened after the call with Maria, Winry stepped away from the phone and exited the main workroom. She went into her own private room. She trusted the three boys to be careful by themselves and if there was any kind of a problem they could just knock and she'd be out.

Winry closed the door to her private room and sat back down on the stool that was next to her work table. On the table was the project that she has been spending the last week working on. It was a new leg for the young daughter of one of Central's High Command generals. Winry was not told who exactly the general was, the request had not included that. A nervous Private had just arrived a week ago with the request and the measurements on paper asking her to make an arm. She had found the whole business to be a bit shady, but nonetheless agreed.

While Winry would have preferred to actually meet the girl whose leg she was making, she understood the General's desire for anonymity. People reacted to automail differently, especially the parents of those that needed it. Maybe it had not set in for the general yet or maybe he did not want the news spreading. Winry didn't know but, even though the thought of a parent finding automail shameful was infuriating to her, she still accepted it. Being the wife of a prominent State Alchemist, Winry had the pleasure of being the primary mechanic of many members of the state's military. She often did find it troubling though, as one of her reasons for becoming an automail mechanic had been to try and get away from being involved in military affairs. But Winry couldn't deny that these services were a very good source of income, and helping those that needed it was the reason she had trained to become a surgeon in the first place That and she knew that Edward enjoyed the bragging rights of being married to the woman who kept, as he put it, a quarter of the military standing. Winry knew that number was impossibly incorrect, but let Edward say it anyway. The smile on his face when he spoke about it to people was too cute to ruin.

Winry shook the thoughts out of her head and looked back down at the small metal arm in front of her. She put her goggles on and leaned over the table.

It was almost done. Winry moved in close with her tools. She just had to connect-

There was a knock at the door.

"Another call for you, Boss."

Winry let out an annoyed groan. At this rate she was never going to get this leg done. Dropping her tools, she stepped over to the door and opened it to find a sheepish Felix standing there.

"Who is it now?" She drawled.

"A Mr. Maes Hughes."

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

"Have I ever told you how much I love you Winry?"

"Don't let Gracia hear that, Maes." Winry shot back as she placed her tool box down. She looked down at the job that she was going to have to do. A simple tuneup on a car engine? This wouldn't take long.

Maes Hughes let out an exaggerated gasp with a hand coming up to cover his heart. "Are you implying that I could love anyone more than my family?"

Winry paused in her movements before letting out a sigh, realizing too late that she had walked into a trap. "Don't show me-"

"I mean just look at them!" He interrupted her. A shadow suddenly loomed over her.

"Oh god."

Winry turned around to give a deadpan look as Hughes shoved a photograph into her face. She saw the familiar faces of Gracia and Elicia smiling back at her. At least this was a new picture. It was always worse when Maes forced the same picture on her again and again. This one looked like it was taken during a day out at the park. Gracia was sitting on a blanket with Elisia in her lap. Gracia had her arms wrapped around the small girl while Elisia waved enthusiastically.

"Cute." Winry drawled, looking around the picture to look at Maes. "Can I get back to fixing your car?"

Winry had been so tempted to say no when Maes asked her to leave her workplace to come fix the engine of his car. She was just about to decline when Maes pulled a low blow and handed the phone to little Elicia who implored, almost on the verge of tears, for Auntie Winry to come visit.

'Weaponized cuteness.' Winry thought bitterly as she got back to work. Usually she liked to pride herself on having a relatively strong will. She'd been to hell and back, yet a simple plea from a three year old girl was enough to make her drop everything that she was doing.

Damn Hughes for creating her one weakness.

Speaking of said man, he was still standing next to her wearing a purple button-up shirt and black dress pants. His hair was slicked back as usual and his glasses were perched steadily on the bridge of his nose. After receiving a call from the Hughes duo, Winry had told her assistants that she would be out for about an hour and left, throwing a jacket on. Confident with leaving Felix in charge, Winry drove over to the Hughes household with the car that Edward had gotten for them. And now here she was.

"So what do you think is the problem, Win?" Maes asked, leaning against the roof of the car while Winry examined the engine. "Gracia couldn't tell me anything when it stopped working for her."

"Wires from the battery fell loose." Winry said as she continued to work. "I'm reconnecting them right now. Should only take a minute or two."

Hughes smile got a little bigger. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Fuck you." Winry laughed. "Take me out to dinner tonight and then we'll call it even."

"Gracia will hold you to that."

Maes was one of her favorite people in the military. Despite the general rotten or downright horrid lot that lived within the ranks, there were a few good apples. If Winry had to choose a favorite, it would be between Maes or Riza Hawkeye. She'd known Maes longer, but the other blonde woman and Winry had become closer friends over the last few years. The only other person who Winry knew as well as those two was Roy Mustang. Like Maes, Winry met Roy before meeting Riza, but Winry couldn't say that Roy was in the running for the title of her favorite person. She still countered the flame alchemist as a good friend though, even if there was one thing that Winry could never forgive that man for.

Wiping her forehead, Winry looked back up at Maes. "If you want to be useful, could you go get me a drink or something." She said.

"Coming right up!" Hughes said enthusiastically before sprinting off towards the Hughes household. Winry was getting back to work when she heard the quick patter of small feet racing towards her.

"Took her long enough." Winry muttered with a smile.

"AUNTIE WINRY!"

Winry dropped her tools and instantly turned around to catch the small girl who had flung herself through the air. Catching the small body of her goddaughter, Winry laughed and spun her around in the air before placing her down.

Elicia looked up at Winry with a big smile in her face.

"Hi!" She said excitedly.

"Hello Eli." Winry crouched down so that she was more eye level with the young girl. "I got your phone call."

"Are you here to help daddy?" Elicia asked.

"Yes I am." Winry answered.

Elicia looked around before leaning in and whispering. "Daddy told me that mommy broke his big toy, but I know it was daddy."

"I kind of figured." Winry whispered back, leaning in to that her mouth was close to Elicia's ear. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"Thank you." Elicia did a little hop in the air. She then sat herself on the grass in her little sundress, looking up at Winry with a big smile.

"What are you doing out here?" Winry asked with joking suspicion.

"Watching you." Elicia said.

"Watching me do what?"

"Fix the c….c…?" Elicia brought up one of her fingers to her mouth as she got lost in thought, her forehead wrinkling in intense concentration. "Uuuummmm?"

"It's a car, silly." Winry said, turning around back to the automobile.

"Car?" Elicia asked.

"Yes, a car. That's what daddy's big toy is called." Winry picked up her tools and got back to work. Elicia sat on the grass, humming happily to herself as she watched the blonde woman work.

"And that should be it." Winry said after a few minutes, grinning at a job well done. She stepped back from the hood when she suddenly heard Elicia's voice.

"Do you work at a hospital, Auntie Winry?" Elicia asked, still sitting on the grass with her legs folded.

Winry paused for a moment before she turned to look at the girl who was looking up at her with big innocent eyes. Winry forced a smile.

"No, sweetie." Winry corrected patiently as she began to put her tools away. "I work at a mechanic shop instead of a hospital. "

"I heard daddy say you were a doctor." The child said innocently.

"Oh I used to be a doctor." She replied. "But now I'm an automail mechanic."

"Why aren't you a doctor anymore?" Elicia asked.

Winry's smile quivered for a second, but she kept it going. "I... just didn't want to be a doctor anymore." She looked back at the child. "Ever play a game and get bored with it, and then decided to play another one instead? Well it was something like that."

"Okay." Elicia nodded, completely satisfied with that answer.

"Speaking of your dad, how long does it take someone to get a drink?" Winry looked over at the house with her hands at her hips.

"Mommy and daddy are making kissies."

"Brilliant." Winry quipped. "Tell your parents to take me out to that steak house around 7:00 and I'll call this even."

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

Winry shut the car door behind her with her foot as she strolled to the front door of her Automail shop. She had a dinner date with the Hughes at 7:00 while Elisia was at a sleepover.

'I finish up around 6:00 that should give me enough time to go home and…' Winry's thoughts trailed off as she looked at her shop.

As she began to get close to the door she noticed that it was slightly ajar. Quirking an eyebrow slightly at the sight Winry continued moving forward, but a little more slowly. She had drilled into the boys that initial appearances was the most important to potential customers. Leaving the door ajar, though seemingly insignificant, was a bad first impression.

Winry stepped up to the door and peeked through the glass window. "Shit." She cursed under her breath at what she saw.

There was a man inside the shop standing in front of the main desk. He had a gun. Lucas, Harry, and Felix were all behind the desk with frightened expressions on their faces. Felix moved forward with what looked like a thrown together bag of money. The other boys were holding more bags of money.

'Damn he got to the vault.' Winry thought as she reached into her handbag. In those bags were her profits from the last few weeks. If this fucker thought he was about to make off with them, he was sorely mistaken.

Winry pulled out her wrench. She then closed her eyes as she breathed in and out slowly. The image of her employees and staff being held at gunpoint brought back unwanted thoughts that she had tried to bury.

"Nothing you haven't seen before." She muttered, trying to ignore memories of frightened nurses and screaming soldiers. After a few moments of trying to keep herself grounded, Winry opened her eyes and got to work.

Looking at the door, she sized up the space available through the opening. It wasn't big but she might be able squeeze forward without having to move it and risk the door squeaking. The radio was playing rather loudly so even if it did, the music might give her some cover. She crouched slightly before straightening herself to sneak through the door. Putting one foot into the building she put her hands on the door to keep it from moving too much. The robber was pretty engrossed in the first bag of money so he would hopefully be preoccupied for the next few seconds. Deciding to really begin moving, she moved her head through the door. The rest of her body quickly followed and now she was in the shop.

As Winry entered, she made eye contact with Felix. The young man looked at her with a startled expression and she gave a quick head shake. Getting her message, he quickly looked away. The other boys saw this and followed suite.

'Yeah just keep looking at him.' Winry thought, her face a determined glare. "You only have to hold out for a few more seconds.'

The robber pointed the gun at the boys again.

"Alright give the rest!"

Winry quickly eased the rest of herself through the door.

Lucas and Henry moved forward to hand off the bags.

Now completely through the door Winry stood to her full height, stepping slowly to the counter

The robber grabbed the bags and put them with the other one, still holding the gun at the boys. They were trying not to nervously look at her and their slowness was starting to aggravate the gunman.

"Give me the rest dammit!"

By now, Winry was right behind the oblivious robber. She tightened her grip on the wrench. She was watching the gun closely, waiting for the moment it wasn't pointed at the boys.

The man pointed the gun upwards as he adjusted the bags in his arms.

"I said give-"

**Thunk!**

The sound of the wrench hitting his skull reverberated throughout the room followed by the thud of him hitting the ground.

The boys stood there, eyes wide as they stared at their boss.

Winry let out a breath that she had been holding, adrenaline still coursing through her system. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply before opening them to look at her shocked employees.

"Felix, call the military police." She ordered, turning from the the boys to the man on the ground. "Lucas grab some cords."

After a second to take it in, they quickly followed her orders.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"You're a badass!"

Winry caught the cords that were tossed to her. Dropping to a knee, she quickly moved to tie the robber up. When she was done she stood and observed her handiwork.

"Did you make the call?" She called out. Stepping to the side, she began picking up the bags of money.

"Yes Ma'am." She heard an answer.

"Good." She said, holding up the bags of money in her hands. "Take these into the back and stay there. I'll watch him."

"Are you sure, Ma'am?"

"Yes." Winry said without hesitation. "Just stay in the back until the MP's arrive. They might ask you a few questions, I'll try to keep it short." She turned to look at her employees as they came back into the room. "Are you boys alright? Did he hurt any of you."

"No." Henry admitted. "Just scared us." She could see he had been sweating rather profusely. Winry brought a hand to her forehead and realized she felt clammy

"Good." Winry said quickly, her breaths getting a little breathless. "Bring the money to the back. When the MP's leave you can all go home. Take the next few days off if you need it."

Henry turned to follow her instructions. As he moved into the back, he looked back to look at his boss. Winry had turned away from them slightly. She didn't look like she knew that he still in the room. She was standing where she had been seconds earlier but he noticed that there seemed to be something off about her. She was looking down at the ground, but not where the would-be-robber was laying. As Harry looked into her eyes, he realized that she was mentally somewhere else. Movement from her arm caught his attention and he noticed that her hand was shaking. It was the hand that she had used to knock out the Robber.

"Uh, boss?" He asked quietly.

The far off look in her eyes disappeared and she moved her shaking hand behind her back. Her gaze shot to him. Her face was now calm and collected.

"Henry go do what I said!" She said quickly.

"Yes, Ma'am." Harry replied startled by what he saw as he went into the back.

Winry watched him go. When he was out of sight she brought her hand out from behind her back. It was still shaking. She gripped it into a fist to try and stop the shaking and took some deep calming breaths.

"Ok….Ok….it's ok…."

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

The MP's came quickly and took the would-be criminal away. The boys didn't have to stay long and Winry was able to send them home. She hoped that this incident wouldn't scare any of them from coming back. Henry's parents might get too scared to send him back, she'd need to check in with them and convince them otherwise.

'Who the fuck even robs an automail shop?' She thought with a shake of her head. 'Ed's not going to believe me when I tell him.'

Winry soon pushed that thought out of her head as she finished parking her car. Exiting the vehicle, the blonde mechanic looked up at the bright lights emanating from the restaurant in front of her. Glancing inside at the well dressed patrons, Winry felt slightly self conscious in her automail jumpsuit and black jacket. Thanks to all of the previous excitement back at shop, Winry hadn't had any time to head home and change out of her work outfit into nicer clothes. So she had no choice but to accept Maes and Gracia's offer of a fancy dinner while looking like a mess. With a resigned sight, she stood tall and entered the establishment. It didn't take her very long to spot her friends.

"There's our neighborhood crime fighter."

Winry gave Maes a wave as she walked over to their table near the back corner.

"Hey Maes." She said, then looked at the woman sitting across the table from him. "Gracia."

"Thanks for saving Maes today." Gracia stood up from her chair to hug her. Winry returned the hug.

"Couldn't leave him to fend for himself, could I?" Winry replied.

"Hey."

Later they were sitting down, with the food on the way.

"So Winry how….are you doing?"

Winry looked up from the large wine glass that she was drinking to look at Gracia who had asked the question.

"Honestly?" Winry replied. "Like I haven't gotten laid in three weeks."

Maes let out a small chuckle. "Bradley should be ashamed for doing such a thing for you."

"Hey it does have some pros though." Winry continued. "This is the most productive month of the year for me without Ed to distract me. Attempted robberies notwithstanding."

"Were the kids alright?" Gracia asked concerned.

"I don't know, maybe." Winry shrugged with another sigh. "If I keep all three of them, it'll be a miracle. One of them, Henry, has parents that have been looking for any opportunity to yank him out."

"They can't really blame you though." Gracia says. "Heck, you beat the snot out of the robber. If it was Elicia, I'd be happy to have such a tough boss looking after my child."

"People do dumb things when they're scared." Winry responded. "Henry's mom thinks he's only doing this because of the way I sometimes dress." Her lips turned into a irritated frown.

"I think I heard Ed make a similar assumption too once." Maes said, then cringed. "Shit."

"He said WHAT?" Winry's eyes popped out of her skull before she gritted her teeth. Now she could add another reason for why she was going to murder him when he got home.

"Oh honey, you've just killed Ed." Gracia murmured to her husband.

"I'm really gonna rip that dipshit's head off." Winry fumed before calming down. "Anyway both of them are wrong, Henry's a dedicated mechanic and not some skeevy little perv."

"You hear from Ed recently?" Gracia said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, yesterday actually." Winry nodded, her demeanor brightening slightly. "He's in South city right now, we've reached the final stretch. Said he'd try to call me tomorrow."

The food soon arrived and they started eating.

"Gracia, I think I might make a mechanic out of Elicia yet." Winry said with a smile as she cut the meat on her plate.

"Oh don't do that to me Winry." Gracia laughed. "She can hardly use crayons without breaking them."

"What do you say, Maes?" Winry looked at the only man at the table. "Do you think she has it in her?"

"My little Elicia can do anything she wants." Maes said in a overly dramatic fashion. "I'll support her no matter what she does!"

"Hold on there, dear." Gracia put a hand on Maes' knee.

Winry gave a small smile at the couple's interactions and continued eating the food in front of her. As she brought the fork up to her lips, the meat shook in front of her eyes. Winry was confused for a moment until she realized that her hand had begun shaking again.

'Shit.' Winry thought. She had been hoping that it would go away once the excitement at the shop was over.

Quickly switching the fork from her right hand into her left one, Winry hid her dominant hand under the table. She looked up to see that Maes and Gracia hadn't noticed. Letting out a sigh, she went back to eating with her left. It was less coordinated than her right but she had to make due. Meanwhile, her right hand was clenched into a fist under the table. Still shaking.

**OoO**

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**OoO**

Winry let out a sigh as she stopped though the door of their home. The lights in the house were off and it was quiet. The strap of her bag slipped off her shoulder and she tossed it into a chair as she stepped into the living room. Her knuckles were sore from the last few days of work. Winry was going to have a two day weekend break before getting back to it on Monday, hopefully enough time to rest up. Her shoes and jacket fell of too as Winry let herself go limp and she collapsed onto the couch, facedown on the cushions.

'What a day.' She thinks as she practically melted into the couch. Winry opened her eyes to glance around the empty house. It always seemed the most quiet later in the day when Edward should be back and causing some kind of loud ruckus.

Winry let out a small chuckle at the thought. Moving slowly, she sat herself up and threw her legs off the couch. The emptiness of the house seemed to get worse by the second. Due to the incident at the automail shop, Winry had forgotten to bring any project home with her.

So there was nothing she could tinker with to pass the time. She looked down at her knees as she sat there in that silence. Her arms were resting on her arms and she saw that her hand were still shaking.

Winry's blue eyes looked down at her shaking hand for several minutes.

Moving robotically, she got up from the couch and went over to the landline phone that they had in the wall. It had been very expensive to have this installed and having it was a very rare thing for households. But Edward had the money and needed things to spend it on.

Winry took the phone off the holder and began the slow process of putting in the numbers of the phone that he had told her to call for today and tomorrow. After a few minutes of being connected, her call got there.

"Hello, Colonel Elric's office, Lieutenant Ross speaking." Winry heard on the other end.

"Hi Maria." Winry said, her voice tired.

"...Oh Mrs Elric?" Maria needed a second to recognize her voice.

"Hi." Winry replied, leaning against the wall. "Is the Colonel there?"

"He, um, he retired for the night, Ma'am." Maria said.

"Oh." Winry leaned her head back to rest fully against the wall. "Long day?"

"Would you like me to get him?"

"No." Winry said. "It's not that important."

There was a few seconds of silence. "Are you alright, Mrs Elric?"

Winry let out a hollow chuckle. "You're a perceptive girl, Maria. Just tell the Colonel I called."

Winry listened to Maria's affirmation of her request before she put the phone back on the receiver. Letting out a sigh, Winry let her hand dial another number.

'I shouldn't be doing this.' She thought as she was being connected. After a while the call was connected.

"Hello?" The voice on the other line asked. It was female, but also very mature.

"Hey Riza." Winry said quietly.

"Winry?" Riza Hawkeye had sounded tired at first but now she was fully alert and awake. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Winry answered.

"I can hear it in your voice."

Winry sighed again. Her hand was still shaking occasionally but the fear had also returned. The same fear she had felt seeing her apprentices being held at gunpoint. The same that she had felt many years ago. Upon leaving the restaurant it had pounced on her like a tiger. "Sorry…it's just been another rough day."

"Anything happen?" Riza asked.

"There was an incident in the shop that brought back some thoughts of the _good old days_." Winry explained. "I just….just needed to tell someone about it."

"Do you want me to come over?" Riza asked.

"No." Winry said, shaking her head even though she was on the phone. "Talk...I just want to talk."

"What about?"

"Anything." Winry said. "Fucking anything:"

The other end of the line was silent for the next few seconds. Winry cursed herself for being so pathetic.

"What happened today?" Riza's careful voice came through.

"Someone tried to rob the shop, but I stopped him." Winry said. "No one got hurt, well except for him."

"But…" Riza said.

"It was the..uhh...first time I've had to….do something like that in a while. You'd think life would be for quiet as a mechanic." Winry said leaning her head against the wall. "So it, um, it's been fucking with me all day. My hand won't stop shaking. I was having dinner with Maes and Gracia and I was fine in the beginning, but by the time it was over I just wanted to leave and now I'm in an empty fucking house. And my stupid fucking hand won't stop shaking!"

Winry took her right hand and punched the wall several times in front of her. When she stopped she looked down to see that the skin on her knuckles were broken and she was bleeding. She held back tears as she focused back on the phone in her left hand.

"I'm just having a rough day." She whispered quietly.

"Edward's almost home remember that." Riza reminded her.

"I know." Winry heard her voice crack slightly and hated herself for it. Why did she have to be so emotional. "But….it really fucking sucks. Especially today."

"Winry." Riza's voice was calm and soothing. "Winry, I know what you said but I'm coming over. Don't try to convince me not to."

Winry stayed there in silence wanting to tell Riza that she was alright and she didn't need a babysitter. She wished she could shoulder tonight by herself, but as she felt her blood flowing down her fingers and onto the ground, she knew that wasn't the smart thing to do.

"Okay." She answered.

"I'll be there in 20 minutes." The former sniper said.

The call ended and Winry stepped back from the wall. She moved back over to the couch. Once there, Winry stared up at the ceiling for a moment before leaning forward and resting her elbows on her legs. She looked down again to check her injured hand.

Suddenly a tear hit her knee.

Winry blinked as she felt more tears finally forming in her eyes. She didn't move her hands to try and wipe them away from her face. She just sat there and let them fall.

Who were these tears for?

Were they for Edward? Whose lack of presence made being in this house almost unbearable.

Was the it the stress of the day catching up to her?

No it must be something else, she decided as she began to quietly sob in her living room. Maybe it was the ghosts of the past? Her parents? Or her grandmother? Maybe it was even the people of Ishval?

Or was it simply for herself?

**OoO**

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**OoO**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Guest #1: Thank you so very much!**

**Guest #2: This story was an idea that I have had for a long time and have debated about how I want to do it. I really wanted to delve into what their lives would be like if they lived through Ishval and all that and realized that it would have to be angsty. I'm happy you are enjoying it.**

**Guest #3: Don't worry about it only being three parts. I am hoping to make this a series of short stories and one shots that tell the larger story of this Ed and Winry;s lives. **

**OoO**

**Guest #4: Well may I now set you free from the suspense. I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Miloradowicz: Hawkeye talked about how killing is worst for snipers because they see their target so close up. For Edward it would be so much worse because he would have to be killing scores of people at close range. With this concept, I decided not to shy away from the fact that Edward would have to be a perpetrator of genocide. It was strange considering how many heroes in the show commit genocide and yet we love them all the same. What sets them apart from Bradley and Kimblee is that they want to make things right and atone for their actions. That will definitely be a theme of Edward's character.**

**My Lucky Number Is 11510****: Well may you wait no longer, the update is here. I hope you enjoy how this story ends.**

**OoO**

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**OoO**

**South City:**

"You actually blocked the bullet with your hand?" The older man laughed as he heard the end of the story.

"Yep." Colonel Elric responded. "Practically had myself wrapped around her trying to get my hand in the right place."

"I wish I could have been there" The general shook his head with a chuckle. "What I'd give to have seen the look on her face."

"It was pretty good." Elric chuckled. "How's the family been, Hakuro?"

"Call me Phil please." Hakuro said. He looked over at Maria Ross while pointing at Colonel Elric. "Do you know how long I've known this son of a bitch?

"No sir." Maria responded to the higher up.

"Fifteen years." Hakuro said as he leaned back in his chair. "First time we met he saved my life, and the lives of my family."

"He's over exaggerating." Elric waved his hand dismissively.

"No I'm serious." Hakuro said pointing back at Colonel Elric. "My train got hijacked by a small sect of terrorists and who do I see coming to my rescue? This short little blonde kid. I tell you, those fuckers were so surprised they barely even put up a fight."

Maria swore that the instant when the General said the word 'short' that a muscle in the colonel's face twitched. But she couldn't be sure. Either way, this was new information that she was finding out about her commanding officer. She looked back at Hakuro. The middle aged man was a plain, but pleasant looking man. On his desk she could see a picture of him with his family.

'Colonel Elric seems to like him.' She looked at the smile on her superior's face. Maria was a little unsure of what she thought of the General though. When she had walked into the room there had been this brief moment where the two of them had made eye contact. Something about the initial look in the man's eyes that startled her as he examined her. Whatever it was left quickly and the General was nothing but friendly after that.

"Yeah." Hakuro said, turning back to Elric. "Shame they had to send you over to Grumman. I fought hard to get you under my command here in South."

"I would have been honored, sir." Elric said. "But as I recall, Grumman just barely had you outranked. What he said went."

"Damn shame." Hakuro said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but I like to think it's worked out." Elric responded. "Also my wife really wanted to stay in East so that factored into my decision."

Maria glanced at her watch then looked up at her commanding officer. "Sir, your train leaves in about twenty minutes."

"Thanks, Ross." Colonel Elric responded. He looked back at the General as he stood up. "Well Phil, thanks for your hospitality."

"As long as you write a good report my hospitality will always be open." Hakuro stood up and shook the Colonel's hand. "Oh and give my regards to your lovely wife."

"Will do, sir." Elric saluted. He then turned around and nodded towards Maria. "Let's go, Ross."

The two of them then made their way out of the office. Going down the hallways to the car waiting for them to go to the train.

"Are you and the General old friends?" She asked Colonel Elric.

"I wouldn't say friends, more like friendly acquaintances." Elric answered honestly. "He's always been a bastard though. And I'm not using that as a term of endearment."

"Oh." Maria said, a little taken off guard. Elric glanced over his shoulder.

"Different boat than Oliver." He said. "A worse one, actually."

"I've heard a few rumors about him in Ishval." Ross said quietly. "Some of his…methods were called into question, despite the nature of the conflict, right?"

"It's all true." Elric sighed, his face holding a serious expression. "And the worse of it isn't what you've heard. So yeah, he's a bastard on that account. And he's always hated a good friend of mine, doesn't like that he's been so successful."

"Then why act friendly to him?"

"Politics." Elric quipped before changing the subject. "So are you excited?"

"About going home?" Maria asked, her shoulders sagging a bit. "I'm more than ready."

"These last few days are the worst. Too much anticipation." Elric said. "But at this point we've got nothing but a train ride between us and home."

**OoO**

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**OoO**

**One Day Later:**

**Rockbell Mechanic's:**

"Mrs. Pence, I swear that this is a safe environment for your son to be in." Winry explained into the phone as she rubbed her temple with her fingers. God, she was really beginning to hate this woman.

"Well I disagree." The woman on the other end of the line said. "By working in your shop, my son was put in danger!"

"A danger that will never happen again, I can promise you that." Winry answered back. "I'm going to be changing up the money policy and pull a string or two with the MP's. They owe me a favor."

"Ha." Mrs. Pence scoffed. "I can only imagine."

Winry narrowed her eyes, but kept her voice calm. This was not the first time this woman had made a statement like this to her. "Are you insinuating something Mrs. Pence?"

Pence ignored the question and kept on talking. "And furthermore, it isn't right for a boy to be exposed to...such scandalous apparel."

'Count to ten, count to ten.' Winry thought in her head. "Mrs. Pence I already explained the workplace necessity and convenience of a jumpsuit to your husband and you when Henry first joined me. I'm not changing my wardrobe, I don't know how else I can explain it. If it bothers you then I'm sorry, but this isn't fair to Henry. He has a clear passion-"

"The boy's father and I have already spoken, and we are final on our decision." Mrs. Pence said snootily.

"What about what Henry wants?" Winry almost shouted, anger bleeding into her voice for the first time. "You are denying him an opportunity for a great career."

"How dare you tell me how to take care of my son!" Mrs. Pence shot back, her voice rising a few octaves. "And whatever career you can offer is beneath him."

Winry was quiet for several seconds before speaking. "So you've made up your minds?"

"Yes we have. Were you not listening you daft woman?"

"And nothing I could say would change this decision?" Winry spun slowly in her chair.

"Yes!"

"You're absolutely certain?" Winry pressed further.

"Yes!"

"Positive? So this will probably be the last time I ever talk to you?" The blonde mechanic asked as a smirk slowly inched its way across her face.

"YES!" The other woman's voice was now shrill and ear splitting.

"Well then in that case, shove a hot poker up your dried out cunt and die. Bitch." Winry said calmly before placing the phone back against the receiver on the wall.

She leaned back in her chair with a sigh. Using her foot on the wall to spin herself, she spun around to face her two other employees. Since the landline was in the main room they had to listen to the whole conversation, though they had tried to look like weren't listening. The two young men did look up from their work when Winry's chair came to a stop, she was now facing them.

"Well, we're down a man." Winry said, standing up.

"What'll we do, boss?" Lucas asked.

"You guys keep doing what you're doing. I'll take Henry's workload and the new order that came in today." Winry began rolling up her sleeves.

"What about your current project?"

"I'll work on it later tonight at home." Winry said as she got to work.

**OoO**

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**OoO**

**Outside of East City:**

"Here we are at last, Ross. The promised land." Elric said.

Maria let out a sigh of relief. It was finally over. "Yes sir, Colonel." She replied as their new train moved forward.

There had been malfunction with the original train that they were supposed to have taken which would have delayed them another two days. Thinking fast, Colonel Elric commandeered a cargo train that would get them to East City even earlier than the initial train would have. After about only a day, this new train was finally pulling into East train station, though it was very late at night. The end of their month long journey had finally come to an end. Currently Maria was sitting across from the Colonel in a booth originally used for storage. But the train's crew had kindly given them chairs.

There were several boxes in there as well. These contained the hundreds of reporting documents that the Colonel had written over the course of their journey. When they arrived at the station, the two of them were to see the boxes to Eastern Command for submission and then that would be it for them. They would be done.

"What are you going to do during your week off, Lieutenant?" She looked at the Colonel sitting across from her.

Colonel Elric had looked a little worn down when they had stopped at Briggs a few weeks ago. At this point he looked absolutely rugged. His skin was dry, his face unshaven. The veins in his eyes seemed to be even more visible. His movements were sluggish as well. Earlier in the trip she had been startled by how fast the Colonel could be. In the West, she had the opportunity to watch him spar with several other soldiers and she was almost speechless at the sight of him fighting. He moved with such precision and swiftness. None of the Colonel's opponents stood a chance against him. Even when there was four coming at him at once, they were all down in a matter of seconds. He was quite possibly the best fighter she has ever seen. But now, the Colonel's reflexes were off. His reaction time to things was slower and he sometimes lost his grip on things that he was trying to hold. His usual wit was slower too. He'd fumbled a good quip a few times in the last day.

His exhaustion was positively palpable.

Despite that, Colonel Elric still had a big, almost childish smile on his face. Actually this was the biggest smile that she had seen on his face in the last month.

'Guess we're both happy to be done with this.' She thought before answering her superior's question. "Honestly, I'm probably going to spend the entire time sleeping in my house and not leave."

"Same." The Colonel chuckled. "These trips always wear out my wanderlust."

Maria looked at her commanding officer. At the end of their long assignment, she felt that she was free to ask him a few questions.

"Colonel, I know it's a little late to ask this question, but why do you exactly have to do this assignment?"

"I'm a useless Colonel." Elric replied bluntly.

"Excuse me?"

"There are Colonel's assigned to each major city in this country. These individuals help run operations and maintain security in their respective regions. I live in East City but the East already has Colonel Mustang." He said. "So that makes me ask the question, what is my purpose in this military?"

Maria raised an eyebrow at this. "So you're a inspector?"

"I blame it on my younger years." Elric said flippantly as he shrugged his shoulders.

"You're not an old man Colonel." Maria deadpanned. There was only about a nine year age difference between the two of them.

"At this point, I feel like it." Elric chuckled. "Anyway, when I was younger, before I joined the academy and became a State Alchemist I traveled all over the country for my own research. It was on one of those travels that I stumbled onto the Hakuro situation. The Higher Ups must have been paying attention to that, thought I was good at long road trips, and made it part of my job."

"Why do you do it, Colonel?" Maria asked. "I've noticed that…"

"I look like absolute shit the whole time?" Elric responded. "Yeah, it's a rough time for us."

"Us?"

"My wife and I." Elric answered simply.

"Oh yeah, obvious." Maria said a little embarrassed. "Then why do it then if it's such a burden?"

"What do they call us State Alchemists?" Elric asked in response.

"Dogs...of the military." She said quietly.

"Dogs never have much choice, do they." Elric said with a grim smile. "They just do what they're told."

**OoO**

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**OoO**

**Eastern Headquarters:**

Edward gave Ross a wave as she walked out of Eastern Headquarters. She was going home and he was happy for her.

'If she still wants to work after this week, she's a keeper.' Edward thought as he lit a cigarette. He took a huff and pulled the nicotine filled cylinder away from his mouth to breath a cloud of smoke in the air.

The shadow of the large military headquarters hung over him. The moon was out tonight and it was bright. Edward didn't look back at the tall walls. He could feel it behind him. Thankfully he wouldn't have to actually go inside it anytime soon.

"We're all set Colonel Elric."

Edward turned slightly to give a nod to the soldiers taking the boxes of reports into the building. The reports would be carefully read by secretaries of the General in the City, General Grumman. They would send a simplified summary to the General who would then send it to the higher ups in Central. If Edward was lucky maybe some of what he wrote would end up on Bradley's desk. But more than often it was left in a cabinet at some point along the road.

"Bureaucracy at its finest." He muttered to himself, waiting for a military cab to pick him up and take him home.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." A deep voice sounded behind him.

Edward let out another smokey breath, not turning around to face the familiar voice.

"Want to know the most amazing thing about this whole round-the-world circus?" He asked the man behind him.

"Tell me." The man's boots scrapped against the ground as he came to a stop next to Edward.

"It makes me actually miss you, imagine that?" Edward finally turned to face his friend. "Hey Roy."

Roy Mustang smirked, even as his eyes critically took in the other Colonel's appearance.

"Looking a bit ragged there." Roy quipped.

"Winry once said that rugged me looks sexy." Edward shot back, putting the cigarette back into his mouth.

"Sorry to say, but I think she's lying to you." The raven haired man responded.

"Oh don't gut me like that." Edward chuckled, dropping the cigarette to the ground and stepping on it. "Winry lying to me about my appearance is what gets me through the day."

"What a pathetic life you have."

"You're one to talk, bastard." Edward sighed. "Alone and miserable."

"Be that as it may, I don't depend upon someone's lies."

"Yeah all you need is a mirror to see that stupid bowl haircut of yours." Edward said. "So has this battle of insults concluded with happy results? Or are you going to throw a few more at me?"

"Figured me out?" Mustang raised an eyebrow.

"Saw you watching me for the last five minutes. Figured you were looking for something. What were your findings?"

"Just seeing how much your mind deteriorated from this whole experience."

There was a few seconds of silence. Roy watched his friend closely. He wasn't very worried at the moment though. If Edward had not fired back with those responses that would warrant some worry. But he seemed to be at least better than how he had been the previous year.

"How have you been holding up?" Roy asked honestly.

"You know what it's like." Edward responded quietly, his gaze going upwards to the sky. The bags under his eyes were accentuated by the night lights coming from the building behind them.

"It's not getting any better?"

"I don't think it's ever going to." Edward said honestly. "Sometimes I wonder why…...I don't know, never mind."

"You're not the only one." Roy sighed, turning his body to look more directly at Edward.

"You guys all deal with it better." Ed said, looking ahead to see the cab arriving. His shoulders slouched as he spoke. "Maes has his family, Riza has friends and a dog, and you have your damn ambitions to keep your mind occupied."

"Don't you have Winry?" Roy asked with furrowed eyebrows. "And vice versa?"

"I do. Hence this month of hell." Edward responded.

"Go home to your wife and get some rest, Edward. You're stretched thin enough as it is." Roy said putting a hand on Ed's shoulder.

"Rest? If I'm lucky, I won't be falling asleep for at least a couple of hours." Edward gave a crooked grin before walking off with a backwards wave.

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

**Downtown East:**

Edward watched the familiar lights of the houses pass by. There was something unique about the lights in East City that set them apart from the rest of the country. He couldn't place it but he knew there was something.

The driver wasn't being chatty and he was fine with that. The rock of the car on the road was doing its best to pull him into sleep but Ed resisted. It wasn't time yet for him to rest. So he focused on the lights and the few people that were still out at this very late hour.

'Wonder if Winry's awake?' Ed thought. She wouldn't be expecting him at this time. His original train was supposed to arrive tomorrow so she could very well be sleep when he arrived at the house.

Home.

He could almost feel the familiar smell of his house. The plants that Winry had in the kitchen window. The grease coming from her workroom. The old leather from his study. He'd spent a whole month around similar scents but like the lights of the city, the ones at home were unique.

It was the warmth that he was most looking forward to.

The warmth of being next to Winry.

'What did I ever do to deserve that?' He thought. He couldn't think of anything. Anything that would explain how he had earned such a loving and welcoming light in his life. But he needed it, he needed that light.

Who ever thought a monster would cherish the presence of a angel.

Eventually the car came to a stop.

"It's good to be home."

Ed sighed as he stepped out of the military taxi. After almost a month on the road, going around the country to fulfill his duties, he was finally home. It was a burden that they had to endure every year. At this point though, it wasn't as bad as the first few times. He was always allowed a full week off after this assignment. A single week as compensation for a month didn't seem like equivalent exchange. But it would be a week spent with the greatest thing in his life.

Winry.

Ed's boots scraped on the gravel as he made his way up the paved path towards their front door. In moments such as this, he wondered why he still stayed in the military. The weight of the watch in his pocket always got heavier when he pondered this question. Sure, the pay was great and it had mostly been a desk job the last few years.

But sometimes the burden of the past, and the uncertain future, seemed unsurpassable at most times. When he thought about Winry and the future he wanted to have with her, leaving the military seemed like a great idea. However, a promise he had once made with his two closest friends to build a better future kept him where he stood. Moving almost mechanically, he unlocked the door and entered his home.

Ed's flesh hand rubbed his jaw as the metal one grasped the key back into his pocket. It had been awhile since he'd last shaved. A slight scrubble was beginning to grow. Maybe he'd get rid of it before going to sleep or wait to see what it would grow into. Winry had always been curious of what a beard on him would look like.

Anyways, he was too tired to decide at the moment. Ed dropped his suitcase on the floor and flung his coat vaguely in the direction of the hanger. Now bereft of all of his luggage, Edward stopped to breath and let himself relax. The tension of the last four weeks lingered strongly, but it was soothing to be home. Looking around, Ed was happy to see that not much seemed to have changed while he was gone. The lights were off except for a slight glow coming from out of the room down the hallway.

'Of course.' Ed sighed again as he shuffled over towards the slightly opened door, but a small smile appeared on his face. It was well past midnight, but he knew better than to guess that his wife would be asleep. In the past she'd been known to sometimes pull an entire all nighter without realizing it. He was happy with this though. Having her awake right now only meant their reunion was mere seconds away instead of waiting till morning. Edward could feel his heart rate increase at the anticipation.

He was almost to the end of the hallway when there was a creek of wood and the door started opening the rest of the way.

Edward couldn't help the way that his breath hitched at the sight of his wife as she stepped through the doorway.

She was clearly dressed for bed, wearing thin pants that came down to her calves and a flimsy t-shirt that looked suspiciously like one of his. She was barefoot with unkempt hair, but she still looked stunning with the way that the soft glow of the light bounced off of her blonde hair and gentle features. She hadn't noticed him yet as she sleepily turned to close the door behind her. Shutting it firmly, Winry yawned and scratched her side before turning around to face him. He knew he should have said something to warn her about his presence, but he was too in awe at the sight of her to do anything. This one month away always made him appreciate how beautiful she truly was.

Winry must have found the sight of a tall man suddenly standing in front of her startling as she let out a yelp and jumped back against the door. Her eyes were wide and her hand went straight for a wrench she'd left on a small table next to the door.

"Shit!" She shouted. Hand firmly grabbing the wrench and holding it up defensively. She reached behind her for the knob to the work room before freezing as she recognized who was standing in front of her. The wrench was still in her hand.

Edward, who had stepped back and held up his hands in a surrendering fashion, let out a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head. Yeah, maybe that wasn't the best way for him to have made his entrance. But looking at her now, Winry seemed just as awestruck as he had been just moments ago.

For her part, Winry was taking in the rugged look of her husband. That was the best word to describe him right now. He hadn't shaved in a while, his hair and clothes were all wrinkled. There were noticeable bags under his eyes as well as a heaviness that seemed to slump his shoulders. But despite all of that she was mesmerized by his smile.

"Ed?" She asked quietly as the wrench hit the floor. Her eyes were wide and her breathing still heavy from the adrenalin that his sudden appearance had given her.

Ed smiled even wider at her. "Hey there, baby. Working late?"

Winry's face instantly lit up.

"Ed!"

She was over to him in a second and suddenly he was catching her. He grunted as Winry's legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. Ed swayed unsteadily for a moment, exhaling sharply as the aches in his tired muscles groaned at the strain of having to lift her. She felt like she weighed three times as much as she should have, not that he'd say that out loud. He ignored the pains as he locked eyes with her. The sight of those blue orbs of her's made all the aches and pains disappear. Just in time for his wife to pull him down into a kiss. Ed eagerly responded; feeling all the stress that had been gnawing at him from the previous weeks suddenly melt away. The softness of her lips, her sweet taste, and the warm breaths on his face were by far the best welcome home present he could ever receive. Winry clung tightly onto the material of his blue jacket as she ran her lips over every part of his face that she could reach. Ed could feel wet drops going down her face and let out a breath as he worked to contain his own tears. These reunions were always emotional, for both of them. They paused in their frantic kissing to lean their foreheads against one another's. Reveling in the touch of their skin against the other's. Their eyes were closed as they basked in this long awaited moment.

"I missed you." Winry whispered.

"Me too, babe. Me too." Ed said before he went back to kissing her just as thoroughly. Winry grabbed a handful of his golden hair and held on tight, responding to his kissing by nipping him on the lips. Ed grinned at his wife's eagerness, enjoying the familiar weight of her in his arms.

"Someone's certainly…happy to…see me." Ed teased in between desperate kisses. He squeezed her thighs as he slowly began to turn them before making his way towards the stairs.

"Shut up." Winry mumbled as her lips ran along the edge of his jaw. "What are you doing here, I was going to pick you up tomorrow."

"Got lucky." Ed grinned.

"Alchemy freak." Winry said, before pausing with a frown. "Don't think I'm going to forget the automail. I can't believe you had Maria call me."

Ed looked sheepish again. "It wasn't actually me who was being shot at…"

"Consider yourself lucky that I'm too surprised to be angry right now." Winry admitted before kissing him again. They kissed until she realized that they were still moving.

"Why are you carrying me?" She asked

"Right now, my game plan is to take you upstairs and ravish the shit out of you." Ed grinned even wider. "Any objections?"

"Don't wait." Winry breathed, her legs tightened their grip around his waist. "Just take me right now!" She whined desperately. "On the couch or table. Anything!"

"Sorry, missed that bed too much."

"Fine just get us there already." Winry growled planting kisses on his neck. She ran her tongue over his pulse point before nipping the skin hard.

"Yes sir." Ed groaned as he finally reached his destination and kicked their bedroom door open.

Suddenly Winry was lying on her back in the bed. She let out a chuckle as she looked up to see her husband hovering over her, his larger frame shadowing her smaller one. A devious smirk on his lips.

"What are you thinking about?" Ed asked.

"About how this is my favorite time of the year." Winry answered staring up at him. "And how much I missed that big dick of yours." She giggled as she winked at him.

Ed resisted the urge to roll his eyes as her crass comment before laying even more on top of Winry, enveloping her body entirely. His mouth immediately sought hers out to which she greedily responded. Their tongues dueled as Ed ground his hardening arousal against her core. The delicious friction only caused more warmth to pool in between Winry's legs.

"That's good news because he's missed your tight pussy." Ed chuckled as he lowered his head to nip and kiss at her neck. Winry's body shivered at the sensation and she tilted her head to give his talented mouth more access

"What's with the slow treatment?" Winry chuckled between gasps as she tilted her head back all the way and closed her eyes as Ed continued to devour her skin gently..

"I'm reminding myself." Ed said lowly.

"Of what-"

Ed cut her off by claiming Winry's lips with his own. Winry moaned into the aggressive kiss and nipped playfully at his lips.

Ed eventually broke the kiss and pulled back to begin removing his clothes vehemently. He didn't care if the fabric ripped as he tore each article off and threw it into a pile, he'd just fix it in the morning. All that mattered to Ed was how desperate he was for his wife beneath him. Winry quickly did the same with her own clothes and lay back on the bed, body open and welcoming for her husband. Ed moved himself so that he was hovering over her. For a few moments he gazed down at her naked body.

To him, she was utter perfection.

"You're so damn beautiful." He murmured before pressing his lips to her softer ones in a gentle kiss. Winry melted into his embrace. Her legs came up to wrap around his waist; inviting Ed to slide home.

The blonde mechanic let out a low moan as Ed slowly entered her. Christ, he always felt so good inside of her. Edward let out a low grunt as his wife welcomed him back in the best way possible.

"Oh god." He muttered, his hands fisting the blanket tightly.

Winry's nails dug into his back as Ed paused to slowly kiss her on the lips before looking down at her. His sharp golden eyes met her soft blue ones. Time seemed to slow down as they stared at one another, their breaths slow and ragged at the long awaited feeling of being one.

"Don't hold back." She said blissfully as the sounds of their coupling began to fill the room.

Ed hissed as he felt her nails scraping down his back. In turn, Winry gasped as Edward bit her neck.

Edward drank in the heavenly sight in front of him. The pleasured look on her face, the sweat on her skin, the loud moans. It was like being fed food and water after a month of starvation, being given salvation by a kind and loving goddess. Edward familiarized himself with every familiar curve, every inch of soft skin.

His anchor. His salvation. His wife.

As Edward continued to move with Winry, eliciting more enticing gasps, he knew he would be worshiping her the entire night.

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

Much, much later; Ed panted as he rolled off of Winry. The couple laid there in the bed, both of them sprawled out as they caught their breath. Ed swallowed as he stared up at the familiar creases in the ceiling as he listened to the sweet sound of Winry's loud huffs. His wonderfully breathless wife currently had an arm draped over her sweaty forehead as she glanced over at him. Her other hand gently ran across the spot where his shoulder and automail port connected. For several minutes the couple lay in silence before Winry chuckled.

"God, I missed you." She smirked, stretching her arms above her head. "Did Maria take good care of you while you were on the road?" Winry asked, folding her arms behind her head like she was lounging. Faintly, she could hear the beat of his heart. She had missed that sound, and the feel of his strong arms around her.

"I don't think I would have made it halfway through the first week without her keeping everything in check." He admitted as he drew lines on the skin of Winry's thigh with his fingers.

"What is it with all of you military Colonels and having pretty young woman as assistants?" Winry asked with closed eyes, her hand continued to touch him as he touched her. "Seems kind of sketchy to me." She opened her eyes to look over at him inquisitively.

"While I can't vouch for whatever's going on between Roy and Riza, I'd like to remind you that it was you who choose Ross out of all the other candidates." Ed pointed out. "And that the rest of whom, that you rejected, were male."

"True….true." Winry said before there was silence between them again. It was comfortable and stretched on for several minutes.

Winry looked back at Ed with a smile, which quickly turned into a frown.

Ed was laying at his back, his mouth a thin line. He was staring up at the ceiling with a blank distant look on his face.

Normally, Winry would have smacked him with a pillow for having such an dismayed expression on his face after having just thoroughly fucked her brains out. But she paused to look at the heavy bags under her husband's eyes. His normally tanned skin was also much paler that it should have been. His golden eyes held a troubled look to them.

"Ed?" Winry pushed herself up on her elbow. Her hand reached out to turn his face towards her. His sharp eyes cut through the dark room as she looked at her. Her own eyes softened in understanding.

"Winry…" He said quietly.

"Hmmm?" She answered.

"What...what kind of….shit!" Edward cursed as he suddenly sat up in the bed.

Winry was quickly up too, staring at him carefully. After a moment, her hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Take your time." She whispered soothingly to him. "It's okay."

Edward stared at the room in front of him with that far off look that she had seen on him too many times.

"What kind of person am I?"

Winry blinked at the question but she understood. She didn't need to inquire as to what he meant when he asked her this. He had asked it many times before.

"You're a good person Edward." She said, rubbing his shoulders soothingly.

Edward shook his head, she could see that there were tears falling down his face. His eyes looked like the way they had all those years ago. The emptiness was always the most startling.

"How...how can I be?" He asked shakily, his face going pale. "Every night...everytime I close my eyes I see them. I see all of them."

"Come here." She whispered as she gently pulled him into a hug, her arms wrapping firmly around him. Ed let his head fall onto her shoulder.

Ed shifted until he was resting his head on her shoulder. His strong arms wrapped around her body, pulling her close. She responded by wrapping her arms around him in return.

"I see them too." Winry spoke after a moment. "You're not alone."

"I love you." He whispered, barely audible. The exhaustion of it all was finally getting to him. "You know I'll always love you, right?"

"Always." Winry kissed him on the head. "I love you too."

Ed closed his eyes and listened to the gentle beat of her heart. He gripped her as if for dear life.

"Dummy." She whispered into his hair as she ran her hand over his chest.

**OoO**

**OoO**

Morning came with the sun through the curtains.

Edward was awake and at the breakfast table. Though it was breakfast for him it was more of lunch or dinner for Winry. Ed had slept well into the afternoon and Winry had let him. He always needed a few days of good rest when he came back. Not all the fatigue had disappeared from his face. There was still a heaviness to his eyes but it was outshined by a look of contentment.

As Ed slowly ate the food in front of him, he couldn't help but look around him at the familiar kitchen.

'New clock.' Edward noted, glancing at the wall before turning his attention towards the floor. 'Same tiles.'

Ed looked from the room around him to his wife sitting next to him. As he took in her presence, the world around him disappeared, there was nothing else for him but this.

His hand reached out and moved a loose hair from her face. Winry looked up from an automail book that she had been reading and stared straight at him. Together they smiled.

There was nothing else for them but each other.

**OoO**

* * *

**OoO**

**Thank you for following this story.**

**Okay so I have to talk about Kingdom. Once again I reaffirm that I am not discontinuing the story. There will be an ending. Life is just getting so busy that maintaining this long and complicated story is hard. I am also burnt out from it. **

**But despite all of that there will be an ending. Though I don't think I'll update again until I have finished the entire story. After that, I am going to release the chapters in quick succession. I know this is disappointing and that many of you are eagerly awaiting an update. But I'm asking you to please be patient. You may get a few updates in the 'Broken Things' verse along the way. Thank you for sticking with me to this point.**

**Thanks to all those that reviewed, followed, and favorited this story.**

**Mediafan**


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